This is also for you if you’re well on your way but perhaps need a little validation and reinforcement to keep you pushing through your learning syllabus.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a High School meeting in a small town in the UK, with my daughter who will be transferring in September. I expected to hear more of the obsolete type of info that I usually hear at school meetings.

As an active network marketer and avid student of personal development I have long since despaired of the lack of focus on real skills that I believe children need for the work place they will be entering.

Robert Kiyosaki defined my incoherent thoughts clearly for me when I started educating myself with his ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad,’ series of books in 2003.

Anyhow back to my visit to the school; I was pleasantly surprised and not a little shocked to hear that the Ministry of Education in the UK has finally woken up to the fact that they are not equipping our children with the skills they need, and that there are no longer ‘jobs for life.’

As a result they are intending to change their approach to education so that our children will be encouraged to become independent and responsible learners. They will if all goes to plan become ‘lovers of learning.’

This is because its been recognised by the powers that be that technology is changing so fast that it is far more valuable to teach children how to learn, rather than to force feed them Pythagoras. (That’s my spin on it anyhow!)

So what does globalization mean for our future in network marketing or MLM?

Watch the latest version of this incredibly enlightening video ‘Shift Happens’ created by Karl Fisch, and take a glimpse of the future!

I was mesmerised by this video and am happy to say that I discovered it through my daughter’s high school.

Here are the key points that really grabbed my attention in ‘Shift Happens.’

The average person will have 10-14 jobs by age 38

The top 10 jobs that will be in demand in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004

Up until now the education system has been preparing students for jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies that haven’t yet been invented, to solve problems that we don’t even know are problems yet…

For those of you in the UK (like me!) you may be shocked to see the backward progress England has made since 1900 so watch closely!

1 out of 8 couples married in the US in 2007 met online

200 million registered users on MY Space as of 2008. If it was a country it would be the 5th largest in the world!

There were 31 billion searches on google every month as of 2008, up from 2.7 billion 2006.

Wow! I know it is overwhelming isn’t it? What does it mean for us and our children?

Here’s a little bit of how I see it: by positioning yourself in this field of learning you are in with a fighting chance of being ahead of the curve and to establish yourself online in this race for internet ‘real estate’ and skills as an independent business owner.

When you feel frustrated by the slowness of your learning and your lack of know how in using all the new technologies think about this video. What other options do you have?

It may be slower to start than your global compatriots who are still chasing and hustling for new team members but if you apply what you learn and build a business based around online attraction marketing you will be having the last laugh because you’ll be way ahead of the game and have your slice of the internet pie whilst a couple of years from now, others will be saying ‘what happened?’ (Shift happens!!)

This is the Information Age. That’s why I believe it is vital for you in Network Marketing to build a ‘You Inc’ business.

Get the technical skills you need asap so you can move on to working on the fun stuff which is defining your niche, creating your own unique list of subscribers who appreciate what YOU have to offer and of course building a business around your passions and interests so that business becomes playtime for you.

If you haven’t already then plug into some ‘funded proposals’ so you can start to generate some commissions as an Information marketer. This funds your learning curve and brings you targeted prospects, whilst you figure out how to convert your prospects into your MLM online.

Based on the stats in the video and on my own results so far more and more newbie and experienced network marketers are looking to get online and are hungry for information courses and coaching.

Mike Klingler of Renegade Professional (Internet Network Marketing ‘Renegade University’) passed us these figures recently:

Nearly 2/3 of everyone who goes online visits My Space
29% of them visit Facebook
35% of them visit YouTube
Users for most social media sites DOUBLE every six months
Social buyers make 20% more and spend 25% more than others
Prospects are pre-sold as they find YOU

Recently I wrote a book called the ’7 Pieces of the Attraction Marketing Puzzle.’ I did this because I could see a real need for a clear blueprint or explanation on how to transition to building MLM online. Grab your copy here and start learning about Attraction Marketing for MLM today if you didn’t already.

If you read it then how are you doing with that? This is your time to become a student again so embrace it and get the skills you need to start building your online information empire with MLM and multiple streams of income.

As my upline, Eric Worre, says of the Network Marketing Profession, ‘ladies and gentlemen we have a better way.. let’s go tell the world.’

Today I want to go into more detail about the correct strategy that I mentioned because many people are valiantly starting to build their social media empire, but in the words of my 10 year old daughter it is very ‘random!’

Random and business do not go well together. As with any marketing, you require a strategy, consistency and time management skills. We’ll get into some of this today, and as I scale up my Social Media campaign I will pass on the gems I discover, and the frustrations I overcome along the way.

The feeling of being overwhelmed can come from having too much information and not knowing how to start applying it. Another thing that trips people up is poor use of time. This is something to sort out immediately because it is key to your success in every area of your business.

Enthusiasm and energy are great qualities to bring to your business. Poorly channelled however they can have a boomerang effect. With ‘offline’ marketing if you ran around accosting people and pushing your information on them they would run a mile and not even take a look.

It is the same here online. If you jump around randomly from one group to another posting comments and pitching people, not only will you set yourself up to look foolish but you will also be very ineffective with your time.

You will end your day feeling exhausted, head spinning and have nothing much to show for it. This business is about providing value and building relationships. Social media gives us the perfect setting in which to do that. (This applies in many fields other than Network Marketing of course)

What can you do to get organised? Here are 3 key areas that need to be addressed:

1) Correct Strategy.

Here you will need to create your marketing plan. It’s not so different from any other marketing plan you may already have for your activities. If you don’t have a long term marketing or action plan then really now is the time to make one!

Here you want to select at least 3 methods of Social Media to master. If you try to learn everything at once you will get a headache! Select the 3 that appeal to you the most, bearing in mind that you work better when you are having fun with it.

You might be the type who enjoys writing (as I do) so here is your chance to fulfil your dreams of being a reporter, or an author. You don’t have to be great at it; you just need to start to develop your skills. The rest will come because you’re enjoying it and want to improve. Practice really does make things get better. So you could have 1 of your methods as Blogging and/or Article Writing. (I’ll blog about how to blog and write articles in greater detail very soon because that is a whole subject on its own)

You can choose 2 others from a vast range of methods and tools available such as Networking on Facebook, My Space or Video Marketing. There are hundreds of Social Media sites and forums where you can become a member and start creating a trail of valuable content. I’ll give more detailed info on this also as we progress.

Make sure to select your 3 methods, create a plan so you can remind yourself what you are doing everyday because it is just too easy to be online and off track!

You’ll want to specifically write down the actions you intend to take i.e.: create profile on Facebook, add friends and network for 1 hour, 5 days per week.

2) Consistency.

Yes we’ll harp on about this one again! Sorry chaps, I know if you’ve been in Network Marketing for any length of time this one will be familiar to you. Most people fail to produce momentum because they fail to be consistent. If you’re plan was to invite 2 people per day to review your business opportunity, but you only invite 2 per week the results will obviously not be there.

With online marketing you are approaching it differently and attracting people to you everyday, and when the time is right you will introduce them, or they will find what you have to offer through your content, if they are seriously looking for solutions.

However if you do sporadic activity on Facebook, blog 3 times in your first week but don’t look at your blog again for a month, you will not be consistent and therefore will not build the following and network that you need to find the right candidates for your business. This is clever stuff!

Seriously its just common sense and I recommend you get a ‘workout partner’ who is on the same track as you. You can be accountable to each other and that way even if you are very undisciplined you will succeed.

3) Time Management.

This is a huge subject and if you can find the time you should read some books on it… Just kidding, schedule it into your time so your personal development becomes a priority. My favourite books are ‘Eat That Frog,’ by Brian Tracy, and ‘The Four Hour Work Week,’ by Tim Ferris. They’re both great but the latter blew my mind. Tim totally changed the way I think about using my time.
Just because we are using Social Media tools it does not mean that we work on semi focus, distracted mode because we jump from one activity to another like headless chickens. To produce quality content and to build a marketing campaign we need to be focussed.

So on a final note make your plan and make your schedule. Keep them on your wall or in your diary so you follow them each day. On your schedule you need to divide your hours available i.e.; if you are part-time and have 15-20 hours per week to do the business then allocate a portion of those hours to your primary methods of marketing.

Allow some time for making calls and networking with your qualified prospects. As you generate more and more interest in what you have to offer, you’ll need more time for this but initially blast off with your marketing campaign and build up consistently. Try to do something towards your campaign every day and stick with it so that you stay in the game long enough to see results.

See you at the top!

By Rachel Henke, (c) 2009 If you’d like to use this article for quality content on your website or blog please do so with our blessing but ensure the author’s links remain intact.